Daggerfall Mod:BIOG??T0.TXT Files

Editing Daggerfall Bio??t?.txt Files

Gender Association

While many files found in the game (particularly the image files) are accessed via a gender mask, the Daggerfall Biography System is not gender aware. This means there is neither means to determine, nor to assert, the character's gender in, or from, a biography file.

Class Associations

The biography for each character class is governed by a specific file.

File Format Specification

The exact format of the Biography Files described in Augmented Backus-Nour Form

General Editing Procedure

The terms in bold are defined in Best Current Practice #14

1. Your text editor MUST terminate lines with the CRLF token.
2. Your text editor MUST NOT replace HTAB tokens with SP tokens.

Before you edit a bio**.txt file be sure the one you're editing is the same as the one you get asked in the character generator. Be sure the questions are in the same order and that the answers are the same. Sometimes the same questions have different or more answers.

When editing a biog. file the questions look something like this:

1.      What school of magic have you been studying the longest?
a.      School of Destruction
        22 +6
b.      School of Restoration
        23 +6

And so on.....

The words are the answer and the numbers beneath are the modifications to your character carried out by the game when you pick that answer. IE. Choosing "School of Destruction" for an answer adds 6 points to skill number 22, which is Destruction. You can alter as many skill modifications as you like under any answer. For example, say you change the modifiers under "School of Destruction" to read:

a.      School of Destruction
        22 +20
        23 +20

Now, by choosing "School of Destruction" for an answer your character will get 20 points added to both skill #22 (Destruction) and skill #23 (Restoration).

More Information on Editing BIO??T?.TXT Files

The caveat to editing is obeying the file's format. For example, if the question reads:

1. You have a certain degree of training with ___.
   a. Short-bladed weapons
      #4454
      28 +6
      IT 3 1 3

Then the "#????" entry is a valid TEXT.RSC index, which will insert into the character's biography the Text Record specified by the aforementioned index.

The "IT X Y Z" instruction will grant the starting character an item specified by the X, Y, and Z values. Simply by adding more "IT X Y Z" instructions can one give the starting character additional items. Consider:

   a. Short-bladed weapons
      #4454
      28 +9
      IT 3 7 8
      IT 3 8 9
      IT 3 8 8

Assuming your editor terminates each line with CRLF, and prefixes each line under the "a." section, then the character will receive the above three items if the player selects option "a".

Known Codes

Faction Codes

Numerical indices of all 366 factions found in the game.

Skill Codes

Skills can be altered, either upwards or downwards, via the biography system.

Reputation Codes

There are two kinds of "Reputation", each of which may be increased or decreased via the biography system.

Resistance Codes

Increase and decrease a character's resistance to magic, poison, and disease.

Gold Codes

Adjust the starting character's initial currency amount.

Item Codes

IT x y z

Every item which your character can retain in his inventory is expressible via a three digit coordinate in the biography system. The base form for adding equipment to your character is IT x y z. The sections below include the necessary tables, grouped by function.

[Example: Consulting the Weapons and Armour Codes section, we see the line IT 2 0 0 will grant the character an iron cuirass. ]

Gem Codes

Gems and precious stones are an efficient method of carrying wealth.

Weapon and Armour Codes

Contains specialized information on the biography system's unique weapon and armour semantics.

Artifact Codes

The biography system may also grant a starting character possession of some of the most powerful artifacts in the game.

Clothing Codes

Clothing and garment codes for the starting character.

Ingredient Codes

The reagents for brewing all the various potions in the game.

See also

1. Daggerfall item database
2. Daggerfall artifacts database
3. Enchanting Items

Unknown Codes

AE

AO

AF

Defines an NPC for an unknown purpose. The parameters are:

Ax sex race class level

where sex can be M, F, or O (other than player's).